And since the resort is receiving a whole new themed land with three new attractions, is there need to pad out the “nouveautés” by renaming and re-advertising the same event again?

The answer: Yes.

Here’s the brand new publicity visual released today:

Disney All Stars Express (2010)

As you can see, it re-uses the template of the original Disney Characters’ Express image above, but shows the train in its 2009 Minnie’s Party Train guise — recoloured slightly to appear pinker.

On board, the real-life characters are replaced by another collection of generic stock images, showing the “new generation” who’ll lead the event. Well — Stitch, Toy Story and Ratatouille. Despite the year aiming to celebrate the “Ne w Generation”, these stars are already becoming a little repetitive — and there’s no sign of the newest characters, from Bolt and UP, anywhere.

The new name? As given away in the headline, it’s: Disney All Stars Express. Which certainly allows any classic characters to keep their place come April 2010.

If all this repetition’s getting a little dull, take a look at this final new visual:

Showing a plethora of characters parachuting into the park (with Sully for some reason peering up from a trapdoor instead), it’s a pleasant surprise after the earlier images. Nemo’s chances once he reaches the ground surely don’t look good, but the image overall… does.

Rather than just re-using an existing image, chopping it to pieces and hastily copying and pasting some Disney stock characters in, it appears to also have some actual design work in there, with the parachutes given proper perspective and depth as they fade away into the painterly sky.

Yet still, there’s an apathy for the park it’s meant to be selling: why else would you paste fake Mickey Mouse stickers over the beautiful windows of Sleeping Beauty Castle? Sigh…

Comments

Can anyone explain to me, why Buzz is always at such a prominent position in the “new generation” visualizations? Is he really that famous and beloved? What about e.g. Nemo? I thought that he is quite popular among both girls and boys (and adults) too?

@ David: Buzz and Woody are more human-like, they have legs, so cam be made as real characters, they can walk around through the parc. A Nemo-doll would be kind of boring because it won’t be able to sit in this train or to walk around through the parc.
But I agree with you that Toy Story characters are too much seen in Paris, but I’m afraid there aren’t that many other ‘new generation’- characters. I don’t like Stitch and Sully well…

Why do they need a flag at the top of the castle and the mickey stamps on the windows? They announced that NO decorations are meant to be on the castle in 2010 so why have they put those stamps and flag on?

Some items copyright Disney. This website is independent of and not supported, endorsed by or connected to Disneyland Paris,The Walt Disney Company, Euro Disney Associés S.C.A., Disney Enterprises, Inc. or their subsidiaries and affiliates.